Free-speech advocates Garry Kasparov, former world chess champion, political activist, and chairman of the Renew Democracy Initiative; Evan Mawarire, Zimbabwean pastor, democratic activist, and director of education at the Renew Democracy Initiative; and Suzanne Nossel, CEO of PEN America, discuss the state of free expression in the United States, Russia, Zimbabwe and around the world. Jeffrey Rosen, president and CEO of the National Constitution Center, moderates.
This program is presented in partnership with the Renew Democracy Initiative and the Center for Constitutional Design at Arizona State University’s Sandra Day O’Connor College of Law.
Video
Podcast
Participants
Garry Kasparov is chairman of the Renew Democracy Initiative. Now a Russian dissident in exile, he is a former world chess champion and Russian opposition politician. He is the author of several books, including Winter Is Coming: Why Vladimir Putin and the Enemies of the Free World Must Be Stopped. He also serves as the chairman of the Human Rights Foundation.
Evan Mawarire is director of education at Renew Democracy Initiative, where he also hosts RDI’s Front Lines of Freedom podcast. He is the founder of the #ThisFlag Citizen Movement in Zimbabwe, which sought to confront corruption, injustice, and poverty, and was instrumental in unseating Robert Mugabe. He is also a Reagan-Fascell Fellow at the National Endowment for Democracy, former fellow at Stanford University’s Centre for Democracy Development and the Rule of Law, and a 2020 Yale University World Fellow.
Suzanne Nossel is chief executive officer at PEN America. She is the author of Dare to Speak: Defending Free Speech for All and previously served as the chief operating officer of Human Rights Watch and as executive director of Amnesty International USA.
Jeffrey Rosen is the president and CEO of the National Constitution Center, a nonpartisan nonprofit organization devoted to educating the public about the U.S. Constitution. Rosen is also professor of law at The George Washington University Law School and a contributing editor of The Atlantic.
Additional Resources
- An Open Letter on American Democracy from Global Dissidents
- “Forgotten Prisoners, Writing for Freedom – Egypt,” Frontlines of Freedom podcast
- "Narges Mohammadi, PEN America"
- Garry Kasparov, Winter Is Coming: Why Vladimir Putin and the Enemies of the Free World Must Be Stopped
- Evan Mawarire, 2023 Commencement Address at the Georgetown School of Foreign Service
- Evan Mawarire, “This Flag - A Lament of Zimbabwe”
- Kasey Meehan and Jonathan Friedman, “Banned in the USA: State Laws Supercharge Book Suppression in Schools,” PEN America
- Suzanne Nossel, Dare to Speak: Defending Free Speech for All
- PEN America, Freedom to Write Index 2022
Full Transcript
View Transcript
This transcript may not be in its final form, accuracy may vary, and it may be updated or revised in the future.
Stay Connected and Learn More
Continue the conversation on Facebook and Twitter using @ConstitutionCtr.
Sign up to receive Constitution Weekly, our email roundup of constitutional news and debate, at bit.ly/constitutionweekly.
Please subscribe to Live at the National Constitution Center and our companion podcast We the People on Apple Podcasts, Stitcher, or your favorite podcast app.
